Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with edible

how to make tasty edible batteries

bleary — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:12:41 -0800

I remember testing 9 volt batteries with my tongue as a kid to see if they contained charge, and having a truffle or cordial that behaved like that would be neat. and perhaps it could be hooked up to a grape or jelly that would glow when current is applied. Is this possible? people decorate foods with metal, so maybe there is edible grade metal that could work as the leads.

Is it safe to drink? Trading Places edition

Fiat124 — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:12:51 -0800

How old is too old to drink frozen concentrated orange juice? I bought a few "paper cans" of Minute Maid frozen concentrated orange juice early last year, tossed em in my chest freezer and just unearthed them today.

They have expiration dates on the ends of the cans of roughly 15 months ago (Jan 2012) and 12 months ago (Mar 2012).

Are they safe to make and drink? They've been in the chest freezer this entire time and have never been defrosted. Thanks!

can i eat it: grey pickled eggs

windykites — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:46:09 -0800

I made some pickled eggs for the first time. I just opened the jar, and: all of the eggs are varying shades of greyish- brownish. Most of them still have white spots and stripes. They smell fine (for hardboiled eggs soaked in vinegar I mean), but will I die if I eat them?

need a catchy phrase

LaBellaStella — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:21:16 -0800

My workplace, a public library, is planning to replace/ enhance the landscaping with ornamental, edible vegetables. We'll be donating the produce to the local food pantry as it comes available. What we need is a catchy promotional phrase to promote and advertise what we're doing. One early suggestion was "food, not flowers" but that's dry and sort of negative. So, give me your best, catchiest, inspired ideas!

Any edible insects or game meat in NYC?

delasoull — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:00:28 -0800

Any NYC restaurants that serve edible insects or game meat? Well I'm quite curious today and wondering if anyone know any restaurants that serve edible insects or game meat. I've been having trouble finding restaurants serving edible insects as I only seen one restaurant that serves grasshopper tacos (Toloache Restaurant @ 50th St in Manhattan). I'm hoping to find a spot that serves mealworms or crickets.

I'm looking for something inexpensive (below $20) so please take that in consideration. I've also seen game meat such as ostrich meat at some Brooklyn restaurant but it's over my tight budget.

Mail-able, edible gifts?

Bardolph — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:03:31 -0800

Suggest delicious homemade edible gifts, yet again! Difficulty: specifically looking for (relatively) shelf-stable and mail-able recipes. I'm looking to branch out from my traditional Christmas fudge this year, and have been enjoying browsing Metafilter's umpteen-billion edible gift threads. Many of the people on my list are at least a few states away, though, so when exploring all these new recipes I worry about hard-to-predict preservation issues during mailing: will the meringues turn gummy after a few days? Will the cookies stale? The peppermint bark arrive melted or bloomed?

I was wondering if any MeFites might be able to suggest recipes for sweets that, in your experience, reliably hold up in the mail, or under a moderate period of careless storage?

(As an added difficulty, some of my giftees are denture wearers, and some are allergic to chocolate, so I'd especially love ideas for the ever-elusive easy-to-chew and non-chocolate candies. Thanks!!)

Is it safe to eat this wild mushroom?

smoothvirus — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:27:55 -0800

With all the rain we have had lately, there are a lot of mushrooms growing in the woods. I started reading about mushroom hunting and some mycologists claim that Chicken Mushrooms are reasonably safe to pick & eat. I recalled that there was an oak tree nearby that had been felled by Hurricane Irene, so I walk out to it and look. Sure enough, what I am fairly certain is a Laetiporus Sulphureus growing from the snapped trunk. The mushroom I found looks exactly like what is depicted in the photos on that site. I have never in my life eaten a wild mushroom, and like most people that grew up in the U.S., Mom/Dad/School taught me to never eat a wild mushroom and only eat mushrooms from a grocery store.

I would like to try it, it seems reasonably safe. However about 10% of the population are allergic to Chicken Mushrooms and eating enough of one can make you very nauseous.

I will go outside and snap some photos of the mushroom in question, are there any wild mushroom hunters or mycologists in the house? I am 99% certain that this is Laetiporus Sulphureus.

Some more info on the Chicken Mushroom - Laetiporus Sulphureus.

Rogers Mushrooms

Wiki

For what it's worth, the mushroom in question is located in Bethesda Maryland. I think it's fairly fresh, I examined part of it and all of the fungus is still pretty soft and even a little bit juicy.

Edible gift for daddy

schmoo — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:01:50 -0800

What edible gift can I bring my dad for a belated fathers' day gift? I am a keen cook, and like to make edible things to bring my dad when I go to visit him. I didn't send him a present in the post this fathers' day, so want to make something special to bring him when I go to visit next weekend.

Restrictions:
- Should be something that can be made the day before and withstand a three hour-ish journey in a hot car.

- Can be sweet or savoury, but needs to be something snacky that he can keep in a tin and dip into, so not an entire dessert or main meal.

- Something like cupcakes or a savoury biscotti would be the sort of thing I am looking for, but I have made those for him countless times.

- He likes most cuisines and flavours, but is a particular fan of Middle Eastern cuisine. Also loves dark chocolate and nuts. Is quite adventurous with his tastes.

- Something sophisticated and smart would be good, as he can be a food snob!

I am quite an ambitious cook and can source most ingredients, so no restrictions there. Thank you for any ideas! For some reason I'm drawing a blank on this.

Is my cauliflower still edible?

kitcat — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:00:10 -0800

Is my cauliflower still edible? It spent 2 nights in the trunk of the car, and probably froze and thawed twice. The cauliflower is now a rubber, water-saturated mass that stinks to high heaven. But it stills like cauliflower, just stronger - so it doesn't exactly smell nasty.

If it's just the texture that's ruined, that's fine because it's going to be pureed in soup (faux potato leek soup). But if it's no good, I don't want to take the chance and waste my expensive leeks and boursin cheese. Help!

What is this thing and can I eat it - part deux

rileyray3000 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:14:04 -0800

SO what's this OTHER thing growing on my backyard tree. And more important, will I soon be able to eat it? Thus far in my backyard I've found plants that grow tangerines, passion fruit, persimmons and the biggest fig tree I have ever seen. I was about to write off the tree outside my bedroom as a slacker there for aesthetic value alone when I saw something starting to grow there:

THEN

I figure it's probably a flower of some kind and ignore it. Then a month passes and now they all look like this:

NOW

They're about the size of a kiwi and they feel on the outside kind of like a lemon. Only I've seen lemon and lime trees and I'm pretty sure that isn't what this is.

So here's the question: What IS growing on this tree, when is it going to be done and when it's finished, will it be edible?

Cake Decorating Help Needed!

CelebrenIthil — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:29:27 -0800

I want to make something special for my mother's upcoming birthday. I've been looking around and I got inspired to make a cake with rad decorations on it. I've got a few questions tough, namely regarding icing, and I'd love some pointers. For the cake itself, it probably will be a run-of-the-mill vanilla layered cake. I'm a beginner so it won't be none too fancy <:) What will set it apart is that it'll be as neat-looking as I can make it.
For instance I've been looking at http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake and I got inspired to color my batter too (albeit I might not do a rainbow) meaning I'll need [Gel food coloring].

As for the icing/decorating, I've been toying around the idea of drawing and/or sculpting things on the cake. I've been looking at lots of examples of cakes on blogs/tv shows/deviantart such decorated. I've never done such a thing before, but I'm pretty good at drawing and I believe not bad at sculpting with putty/modeling dough so the technical abilities I got could help even if the medium changes. ;)
I'm considering maybe purchasing a set of [Food Coloring Pens] so I could draw on the cake frosting. But for that to work, I'll need hard and dry-ish frosting. It seems the pros mainly work with Fondant but I'm not too keen about that- seems very delicate and unforgiving. Also I really don't feel like making my own so I can always buy some but I guess I'll need to order it online.

I wonder, tough, if something like this or this would not be newbie-friendly, not-too-expensive alternatives?
I'm especially considering that [Wilton Decorating Icing], it's advertized as firm enough to make upright flowers and the such. Do you think I could even make little characters and the such with it?
Also, if I buy white icing, do you thing it could successfully be mixed with a little Coloring Gel to give it different hues?
Or will I need two different products- one to ice the cake itself and one to sculpt things with? (I'd like it all to be edible, too)

Finally, you might have noticed that I put a few words in [brackets]. Those are products I might need to buy, and that are not available at my supermarket (I live in a small city, we do not have a cake specialty shop or anything). I will end up ordering these online, and I would greatly appreciate if any of you can help me spot good deals. I'd like to spend as little as I can (for the quality) since shipping costs to my part of Canada will surely add up and I might end never really re-using those supplies much. (So say, 4 gallons of fondant and extra deluxe food dyes in huge bottles will be overkill for my meager needs)

I've spotted a few shops:

Ultimate Baker:
http://cooksdream.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1110
http://cooksdream.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1106

Sugarcraft:
http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/coloring/pens.htm
http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/coloring/coloring.htm#americolor

Globalsugarart:
http://www.globalsugarart.com/cat.php?cid=437&s=&name=Food%20Coloring%20&%20Pens/Food%20Decorating%20Pens
http://www.globalsugarart.com/cat.php?cid=580&s=&name=Food%20Coloring%20&%20Pens/Americolor%20Soft%20Gel%20Paste%20Colors

and
Wilton's store:
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/department.cfm?id=3E305008-475A-BAC0-50998F2253BBBC1F&fid=7816D930-475A-BAC0-5CB6ADF25218B917
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E31926B-475A-BAC0-5E213F624C3CDCEB&fid=81376A33-475A-BAC0-58BE8A80ADF2749C

I don't know if there are any Canadians among people reading this who would know of some better shops, geographically speaking (it might help further to specify I live in Québec) to order online from? It might be better for the environment and my wallet if my purchases do not need to be lugged across the continent. :)

Thanks in advance, everyone!

Help me determine if this is edible in some way other than giving it to Ralph Wiggum to taste.

rileyray3000 — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:24:34 -0800

What kind of fruit or vegetable is this? And more important, can I eat it? As part of my ongoing skunk problem research I was told by multiple sources that, in the absence of porch or basement they're hiding in, there is usually something the skunks on your property are eating. And that's why they keep coming back. With our trash lids closed I started looking for something else they might be nibbling on. And behind our back fence I saw these.

PICS

They're growing on the fence itself. They're orange with red fleshy seeds like pomegranates or something. So are these things edible? Is that what the skunks are eating?

And, on a related note, can I eat them as well?

What plant were they picking, and why?

gemmy — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:50:58 -0800

What plant did the elderly Asian ladies collect by the riverbank, and what will they use it for? We went walking by Four Mile Run, a stream in Arlington, Virginia. Where the trail crossed the stream, we came upon three elderly Asian* ladies, who were collecting these plants from the stream banks, using little scissors to cut them close to the ground. It looked like they were only selecting the most tender shoots, not just grabbing all the plants in the area. Each one was carrying a full grocery bag of them.

We tried asking the ladies what the plants were and what they were for, but none of them spoke English. I have been trying to look the plant up online since, with no success. Any idea what this plant is? Is it edible? It it used for cooking or as a medicinal plant? I would love to know more. Thanks!

*I never heard them communicate among themselves, so I couldn't tell what country they were from.

Looking to create a safe, non-toxic baby/ children's book

JiffyQ — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:20:07 -0800

I'm looking to create a printed book/magazine that will be as safe as possible for small children kids and babies. Safe in that they can put in their mouths, tear it apart and the risk to them is as low as possible. However, I can't find much information on how to do this. I've already explored vegetable based inks, non-chlorine paper, compacted cornstarch (edible) paper, and dis-solvable films (similar to those breath mint sheets).

However, each of these options have downsides- Not all colors are available in the vegetable based inks, non-chlorine paper still poses a choking hazard, the cornstarch paper is too lumpy and the colors don't pop enough, and the films require a very large order). Additionally, if it can be eco-friendly, that would be a big plus.

Is there anything else that I should look into?

Can I Eat it? Raw-milk Cheese edition.

verevi — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:43:26 -0800

I just received some delicious-looking raw-milk cheese in the mail. It was room temperature. It does not appear molded. It is shrink-wrapped. I'd hate to waste it, but I don't want to take any chances especially because it is raw-milk cheese. Incidentally, it is from this producer. I called them, but no answer (probably off for the new year).

http://greenarbytheday.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/meet-local-producer-honeysuckle-lane-cheese/

Alcohol for the New

divabat — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:07:52 -0800

I've just started drinking alcohol this year. Help me find a cocktail/drink that doesn't taste like cough syrup. So far the only real alcoholic drink that I know I like is sparkling wine (bubbly), whether pink or white. I've had a version of a Long Island Ice Tea at Wagamama that was all right. I don't like alcopops; they taste too much like cough syrup. Whiskey and bourbon are much the same. I did plow through a box of sherry chocolates but I don't know how sherry tastes like on its own. I don't like beer, though Beez Kneez (honey beer) tastes OK.

I see my friends ordering all sorts of mixed drinks and I don't even know where to begin! I like chocolate, vanilla, Nutella, coffee-type flavours, and have been curious about liquer hot chocs/coffees. I'm not a big fan of fruity flavours, except if it's melon or banana (milkshake-ish) or lemonade. Flower flavours are good, and I really like ginger ale/ginger beer.

What would you recommend? Are there any drinks that don't taste overwhelmingly like cough syrup? I don't think I have a pretty high tolerance for alcohol (2 and a bit glasses of champagne and I'm already wobbly) so nothing crazy, but I'm up for experimenting.

How much should I charge for my fruit tree planting service?

Sentus — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:11:02 -0800

I am doing a lot of landscaping gigs lately, and want to start planting Edible Landscape for folks. How much should I charge for an edible tree package? Hello there fellow Mefi friends!

Fruit trees, Berries and Nut trees.

I will come to the customer, asses and test his soil for P.H and drainage, check the amount of sun the area is receiving, see that the area is large enough to provide space for future growth.

I am not going to push stuff that will not grow well in the area/problematic/high maintenance just to make a sell. Only trees that "want" to grow there, and will prosper without much maintenance, disease and pest problems.

Included:
* Healthy vigorous plants that have been checked for disease, been found free of "root bounding". Specific verities that adapted to the growing zone.
* Beautiful organic soil mixture tailored for new trees.
* Thick Layer (4"-6") of good mulch.
* An information pamphlet about the tree history, the specific variety, growing tips, watering schedules, pruning advice.

My questions will be:

1. What is the price range you would be willing to pay for something like that? How much for one tree? How much for a package of five shrubs/trees?
2. If the client have deer problem/huge dogs I can install a small durable fence. How much extra you think that worth to you?
3. What other services/extras I can offer that you think will make your decision more smooth?
4. Generally speaking, would you want a cheaper younger tree (2'-3' feet tall) or a more expensive and established tree (5'-8' feet tall)?
5. Any other suggestions and nuggets of wisdom?

Thank you and have a great day,

I will not eat green potatoes and ham.

Toekneesan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:27:29 -0800

Garden/Botony/KitchenFilter: If your potatoes turn green, can you safely turn them back to brown? Some of the potatoes we grew this year were left exposed to the sun in the kitchen. Subsequently the skin has gotten kind of green. More than just a few small spots. This makes them poisonous. I'm wondering if we can root cellar them to turn them back to brown, and would that affect the amount solanine in the potatoes? Can we eat these, eventually, or should they just be thrown away?

Why don't we eat the leaves off the trees?

escabeche — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:45:05 -0800

Why do we eat leaves from plants that grow on the ground, but not from trees? Help me give my three-year-old authoritative answers to his difficult questions. He wanted to know why we don't eat leaves off the trees. And I have no idea! Other animals eat tree leaves, and people eat all kinds of green leaves from lettuces, cabbages, herbs, etc. Are tree leaves non-nutritive for humans? Would they make us sick? Or do they just taste bad? Please help me be Dad Who Knows Everything.

Where can I get edible flowers in the Bay area (USA)?

CommonSense — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:43:12 -0800

Where can I get edible flowers in the Bay area (USA)? Hi there, MeFites. I'm getting married on Saturday (11/8), and I've got a "signature cocktail" on the menu that involves edible flowers. I was jumping a bit ahead of myself, though, because I don't actually know where to find said edible flowers. I live in Baltimore, and am marrying a Bay area native, and she's not been able to shed much light on this.

I found this thread asking the same question, but it applies to NYC. (I actually am up there now and again, but sadly, I've come across the thread too late.) But I see that Whole Foods is mentioned, and they're like . . . everywhere. Perhaps a West coast location will have them?

My fiancee mentioned the SF Flower Mart, but since she lives in the East Bay, and the wedding's in Oakland -- and we're tight on time as it is this week -- I'd really prefer to keep our travels to that side of the Bay, if at all possible. Still, if SF is our only bet, we can have a friend/family member who lives over there pick them up for us.

Many thanks in advance.

Not-quite-Canadian Rockies edible plants: what's the best reference?

a robot made out of meat — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:30:23 -0800

I'm going backpacking for a couple of weeks in the Beartooth mountains next summer. I'll be above the tree line most of the time. I'd like to have some local herbs and greens to make trail food more palatable. Is the flora described in Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies going to be the right stuff for this trip? Is there another pack-reference which will better describe this biome? Feel free to recommend whatever plant reference you've had good experience with in this area of the country.

When I went into the woods today, I found an edible surprise....

Kickstart70 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 09:13:10 -0800

What is the best/easiest/clearest guide book to edible wild plants, especially or specific to Western Canada? I want to go into the woods prepared to come out with real food.

Scary waffles

umbú — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 21:22:19 -0800

How do you know when sourdough starter goes bad? This morning ms. umbú and I had some sourdough waffles using our jar of her family's 40-year old sourdough starter. They were great: airy and tangy, as they should be. If you've never had sourdough waffles or pancakes, you should. They're amazing.

The thing is, we almost didn't make them because it has been a while since we used the mason jar of starter, and sitting in the back of the fridge it has gotten pretty scary looking. There was some black liquid settling on top, for example, more dramatically than usual.

Now I know the starter is supposed to be alive and changing. However, is there a certain point where it passes a point of no return and you should no longer eat it? If so, how do you know when it has passed that point?

"I must get the recipe for your lavender."

Hwaet — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:25:29 -0800

Where can one buy edible flowers from a reputable vendor in New York? I know we can probably eat florist-bought pansies and the like without much trouble, but I'd prefer a place that sells pesticide- and manure-free flowers for the purpose of eating. I can settle for an organic florist, I suppose, but it would be neat to get some from a vendor who's sold consumable flowers before.

Edible Christmas Tree instructions for the city mouse?

bunnycup — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:11:49 -0800

After 10 years of living in NYC, I've fled to a wooded acre in rural New Jersey. I'm a total scrooge who would never be caught dead with a Christmas tree, but I want to edibly decorate an outdoor (living) pine tree to attract animals like deer, birds, squirrels and whoever else. I'm thinking along the lines of stringing popcorn, carrots, dried corn for the deer, peanut butter and birdseed on pinecones for the birds, maybe some apple slices, etc. The problem is, my years in the city have left me devoid of any common sense on how to proceed. I don't care much whether the tree is pretty or not - I'm more interested in having animals in my backyard than flashing lights that sing "Jingle Bell Rocks". So, with so many animal-caring and conscious, crafty folks here, I thought I'd probe the hive mind for suggestions. Please help me out with tips, tricks, instructions, suggestions to create a SAFE enjoyable edible outdoor tree to get all the animals I possibly can. Assume I know less than a 5th grader who's been to a summer camp craft class - what do I use to string the popcorn so it doesn't end up fatally snagged in a duck's digestive tract? Is there anything tempting to use that's actually dangerous for the type of animals likely to live in the area (ducks, deer, birds, squirrels, beavers, raccoons, etc.)? Are there any pressing safety concerns for the animals to make me wary - I don't want to HURT them of course. As a result of my location, I won't be luring animals to a busy road where they are likely to get hit, or to an area where neighbors would consider them pestilential.

Most appreciated would be fairly quick and easy instructions so I could do this a few times even on a busy schedule - I'd love to be able to refurbish the tree every weekend for the next month or so.